Minister of Defense Kihara is making arrangements to visit Okinawa Prefecture as early as next week and meet with Governor Tamaki, who opposes the government's move to relocate the U.S. military base Futenma to Henoko, Nago City.
Regarding the relocation of the U.S. military base Futenma in Okinawa to Henoko, Nago City, the Ministry of Defense last month began construction work on the Oura Bay side, which has soft ground, and Governor Tamaki, who opposes the relocation, asked the government for an opportunity to have a dialogue. I was asked to set it up.
Under these circumstances, Minister of Defense Kihara is making arrangements to visit Okinawa Prefecture and meet with Governor Tamaki on the 10th of this month.
During the meeting, Minister Kihara plans to convey that construction work will steadily proceed in order to return Futenma Air Base as soon as possible, and that he will work to eliminate the dangers of Futenma Air Base even before its relocation.
He will also inspect a construction site in Henoko for the first time since taking office, and is also making arrangements to hold talks with Mayor Toguchi of Nago City and Mayor Matsukawa of Ginowan City, where Futenma Air Base is located.
Regarding this issue, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi met with Governor Tamaki on the 28th of last month, and the successive visits by cabinet ministers are aimed at emphasizing the governor's willingness to engage in dialogue, even though construction is proceeding through proxy execution without approval. It seems that there is.